BROCKVILLE SPEEDWAY
The Brockville Speedway opened up for the first time in the spring of 1969. Ralph Hurley and his wife Iris were the original owners along with partnership from Doug Ellis and Harry Moll. The Hurley's also built and owned the Cornwall Speedway, which would open the following season. The Hurley's owned the 1/4 mile Brockville track until the end of the 1971 season, and it was sold to Fred Gibson, and Bob Martin.
Fred Gibson and Bob Martin were both racers back in their earlier days and also had experience in ownership, as the pair also owned the Kingston Speedway at the time. Gibson and Martin continued to own both tracks until August of the 1972 racing season.
In August of 1972, the Brockville track was sold to Earl Bilow, with management from Wayne McCaugherty, of Brockville. Bilow continued owner ship until late in the 1975 season.
In 1975, Helen and Harold Hollister came into the picture, and on August 4, 1975 the Hollisters were the owners of the speedway. Hollister owned the speedway for the 1979 season. As owners of the track, Helen and Harold joined up with an organization called Canadian American Racing Society (CARS).
In the spring of 1980 the track was sold to John Cameron and Peter Head. Doug Mathews was in charge of promotion during the 1980 racing season. This team only ran the track for just the one season as well.
1981 brought on tough times for the Brockville track. The Speedway sat silent for the entire season. Kingston Speedway was forced to close just 5 years earlier, and it was worried that Brockville might suffer the same fate.
Late in 1981, the track was again reacquired by Ralph Hurley, along with former GM Wayne McCaugherty. Hurley and McCaugherty ran the track for the 1982 and 1983 seasons. 1983 marked the first year that Brockville ran under the DIRTcar banner. Marcel Lafrance was the inaugural DIRTcar track champion at the speedway.
In 1984, Hurley continued ownership of the speedway, this time leasing it to former street stock competitor Doug Young. Young leased the track for the amount of $1.00. At the end of the season, Hurley sold the track to Harold Westendorp.
In the spring of 1985, Westendorp demolished the speedway. Aside from owning the speedway, Westendorp also had his own demolition business in the area. After demolition was complete, he rebuilt the place, putting in new walls, and a new grandstand and tower structure that still exists today. With Westendorp's ties with the demolition business, one contract that Harold had was to remove the grandstands at Lansdowne Park in Ottawa, Ontario. Being the sound businessman that he was, he removed the grandstands from Ottawa, and used the material to build the structure for the stands at Brockville.
Westendorp continued ownership through the 1987 season. Unfortunately, tough times in his family, Westendorp was forced to close the speedway after the 1987 season. The Speedway appeared doomed for good, the future prospects didn't look very bright, and the track sat dormant for the next 4 years.
In 1992, New York State resident John Eckert teamed up with Delta, Ontario businessman and race fan George Gray. The pair ran only 6 events in 1992, running a special Thursday night series through the summer. They continued ownership through the 1993 season, leasing the track out to Derek Wagar. Eckert and Gray also brought the speedway back under the DIRTcar banner. Wagar ran the speedway successfully during the 1993 season, but at the end of the 1993 season, Eckert bought out George Gray's ownership, and Wagar's lease was dismissed.
In 1994, at the mid point of the season, Eckert brought in another partner, Pierre Dagenais, who also happened to own the Edelweiss Speedway in Cantly, Quebec. Eckert, and Dagenais, along with racer and parts supplier Roger Lalonde helped put the Brockville Speedway in the spotlight with the $100000 Dream Weekend event. This event was held in the fall of 1994 and 1995.
At the end of the 1995 season, the partnership with Pierre Dagenais dissolved, and Eckert was back as sole owner of the Speedway. Looking at the option of leasing the speedway once again, Eckert was approached by Brockville area resident Paul Kirkland, and a lease was signed for the 1996 racing season.
Kirkland, purchased the track in 1997. Watertown, NY businessman Charlie Caprara teamed up with Kirkland for the 2005 season, but the partnership only lasted the one season, and now Kirkland continues to operate the track today as sole owner.
If any of this info is incorrect, please send me an email.
